Analysis of the Evolution of Sea Water Quality in the Spanish Coast from Satellite Images before and during a Confinement Period

[EN] Satellite imaging, a form of remote sensing, can be used to analyse water quality, which must be monitored for proper and sustainable environmental management. This paper studies the effect of a sea traffic reduction in the Alboran Sea (Spain), analysing the changes in water quality before (from February 3rd, 2020) and during (until June 22nd, 2020) a confinement period. This was an unprecedented event in modern times and brought an interesting opportunity to study dynamics when the human impact is reduced. The study of these dynamics and the concentration levels with little human effect is important for environmental conservation purposes. We applied already existing indices using ArcGIS and ACOLITE to determine the following environmental parameters: colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM), suspended particulate matter (SPM), chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), and harmful algal blooms (HABs). Prequarantine concentration levels can reach up to 4 a(CDOM)440 (CDOM), 18 g/m(3) (SPM), and 100 mu g/L (Chl-a). Most prequarantine days presented an increment in either concentration level or distribution from the day before. The effects a sudden human impact has on an ecosystem which experimented reduced human influence for months were shown. On the day before the said impact (June 12th), three of the parameters were barely detected with concentration levels of mostly 2 a(CDOM)440 (CDOM), 6 g/m(3) (SPM), and 25 mu g/L (Chl-a), and sparse distribution. Afterwards (June 22nd), their levels went up to 4 a(CDOM)440 (CDOM), 14 g/m(3) (SPM), and 1000 mu g/L (Chl-a) and were distributed near the ports. The results presented in this study show that the main drivers of change when human impact was reduced were climatologic events (such as storms). Nevertheless, the importance of the human facto can be seen through the CDOM, SPM, and Chl-a plume near port areas observed the day after port activity was reactivated, June 22nd.This research was funded by the European Union through the ERANETMED (Euromediterranean Cooperation through ERANET joint activities and beyond) project ERANETMED3-227 SMARTWATIR; by Conselleria de Educacion, Cultura y Deporte with the Subvenciones para la contratacion de personal investigador en fase postdoctoral, grant number APOSTD/2019/04; and by Universitat Politecnica de Valencia through Program PAID-01-20 and PAID-10-20.Parra-Boronat, M.; Parra, L.; Jimenez, JM.; Lloret, J. (2022). Analysis of the Evolution of Sea Water Quality in the Spanish Coast from Satellite Images before and during a Confinement Period. Journal of Sensors. 2022:1-20. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/9996626120202

Low-cost Soil Moisture Sensors Based on Inductive Coils Tested on Different Sorts of Soils

[EN] The use of precision agriculture and the Internet of Things has improved the efficiency of many cultures. Nevertheless, there are a few low-cost options to monitor soil moisture. Moreover, those options depend on the specific characteristics of the soil. In this paper, we attempt to find a sensor, based on mutual inductance, that could be used for more than one sort of soil. We study three prototypes, one of them with casing. The sensors are powered with a voltage of 10 peak to peak volts. One of the soils has a high content of organic matter and sand while the other is rich in sand and silt. The best prototype for the soil with high levels of organic matter has 10 turns on the powered coil and 5 on the induced coil. The best frequency for this sensor is 1340 kHz. For the soil with a significant quantity of silt, the best prototype has 80 turns on the powered coil and 40 on the induced coil. The frequency at which this sensor works best is 229 kHz, which happens to be its peak frequency. With those characteristics regressions lines with R2 values higher than 0.75 can be modeledThis work is partially found by the Conselleria de Educación, Cultura y Deporte with the Subvenciones para la contratación de personal investigador en fase postdoctoral, grant number APOSTD/2019/04, by European Union through the ERANETMED (Euromediterranean Cooperation through ERANET joint activities and beyond) project ERANETMED3-227 SMARTWATIR, and by the European Union with the Fondo Europeo Agrícola de Desarrollo Rural (FEADER) Europa invierte en zonas rurales, the MAPAMA, and Comunidad de Madrid with the IMIDRA, under the mark of the PDR-CM 2014-2020 project number PDR18-XEROCESPED.Parra-Boronat, M.; Parra-Boronat, L.; Lloret, J.; Mauri, PV.; Llinares Palacios, JV. (2019). Low-cost Soil Moisture Sensors Based on Inductive Coils Tested on Different Sorts of Soils. IEEE. 616-622. https://doi.org/10.1109/IOTSMS48152.2019.8939258S61662

Comparison of Single Image Processing Techniques and Their Combination for Detection of Weed in Lawns

[EN] The detection of weeds in lawns is important due to the different negative effects of its presence. Those effects include a lack of uniformity and competition for the resources. If the weeds are detected early the phytosanitary treatment, which includes the use of toxic substances, will be more effective and will be applied to a smaller surface. In this paper, we propose the use of image processing techniques for weed detection in urban lawns. The proposed methodology is based on simple techniques in order to ensure that they can be applied in-situ. We propose two techniques, one of them is based on the mathematical combination of the red, green and blue bands of an image. In this case, two mathematical operations are proposed to detect the presence of weeds, according to the different colorations of plants. On the other hand, we proposed the use of edge detection techniques to differentiate the surface covered by grass from the surface covered by weeds. In this case, we compared 12 different filters and their combinations. The best results were obtained with the Laplacian filter. Moreover, we proposed to use pre-processing and post-processing operations to remove the soil and to aggregate the data with the aim of reducing the number of false positives. Finally, we compared both methods and their combination. Our results show that both methods are promising, and its combination reduces the number of false positives (0 false positives in the 4 evaluated images) ensuring the detection of all weeds.This work is partially found by the Conselleria de Educación, Cultura y Deporte with the Subvenciones para la contratación de personal investigador en fase postdoctoral, grant number APOSTD/2019/04, by European Union through the ERANETMED (Euromediterranean Cooperation through ERANET joint activities and beyond) project ERANETMED3-227 SMARTWATIR, and by the European Union with the "Fondo Europeo Agrícola de Desarrollo Rural (FEADER) - Europa invierte en zonas rurales", the MAPAMA, and Comunidad de Madrid with the IMIDRA, under the mark of the PDR-CM 2014-2020 project number PDR18-XEROCESPED.Parra-Boronat, L.; Parra-Boronat, M.; Torices, V.; Marín, J.; Mauri, PV.; Lloret, J. (2019). Comparison of Single Image Processing Techniques and Their Combination for Detection of Weed in Lawns. International Journal On Advances in Intelligent Systems. 12(3-4):177-190. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/158241S177190123-

Practical Study of the Temperature Effect in Soil Moisture Measurements

[EN] Precision agriculture is a current tendency whose goal is to increase the crop production while reducing the water and fertilization use. The use of low cost sensors and Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are frequently used to implement complex systems to control the irrigation process in crops. Taking into account the importance of developing these low cost systems, in this paper we present a practical study that compares a commercial soil moisture sensor with the prototype of our inductive soil moisture sensor, which is based on two solenoid coils. Additionally, we measure its performance as a function of the soil temperature to quantify the effect of this parameter in the sensor measurements. The results show that the temperature greatly affects the sensors measurements and, although our sensor could be used to measure the soil moisture as a function of the temperature, the configuration of two solenoids is not the most suitable to perform this kind of measurementsThis work has been partially supported by the European Union through the ERANETMED (Euromediterranean Cooperation through ERANET joint activities and beyond) project ERANETMED3-227 SMARTWATIR by the ¿Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte¿, through the ¿Ayudas para contratacion predoctoral de Formación del Profesorado Universitario FPU (Convocatoria 2016)¿. Grant number FPU16/05540.García-Navas, JL.; Parra-Boronat, M.; Parra-Boronat, L.; Rocher-Morant, J.; Sendra, S.; Lloret, J. (2019). Practical Study of the Temperature Effect in Soil Moisture Measurements. IARIA XPS Press. 7-13. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/180616S71

Design and Calibration of Moisture Sensor Based on Electromagnetic Field Measurement for Irrigation Monitoring

[EN] Soil moisture control is crucial to assess irrigation efficiency in green areas and agriculture. In this paper, we propose the design and calibration of a sensor based on inductive coils and electromagnetic fields. The proposed prototypes should meet a series of requirements such as low power consumption, low relative error, and a high voltage difference between the minimum and maximum moisture. We tested different prototypes based on two copper coils divided into two different sets (P1-P15 and NP1-NP4). The prototypes have different characteristics: variations in the number and distribution of spires, existence or absence of casing, and copper wires with a diameter of 0.4 or 0.6 mm. In the first set of experiments carried out in commercial soil, the results showed that the best prototypes were P5, P8, and P9. These prototypes were used in different types of soils, and P8 was selected for the subsequent tests. We carried the second set of experiments using soil from an agricultural field. Based on the data gathered, mathematical models for the calibration of prototypes were obtained and verified. In some cases, two equations were used for different moisture intervals in a single prototype. According to the verification results, NP2 is the best prototype for monitoring the moisture in agricultural lands. It presented a difference in induced voltage of 1.8 V, at 500 kHz, between wet and dry soil with a maximum voltage of 5.12 V. The verification of the calibration determined that the calibration using two mathematical models offers better results, with an average absolute error of 2.1% of moisture.This work is funded by the European Union under ERANETMED (Euro-Mediterranean Cooperation through ERANET joint activities and beyond), project ERANETMED3-227 SMARTWATIR and the European Union, MAPA and Comunidad de Madrid (through IMIDRA), under the project PDR18-XEROCESPED of the PDR-CM 2014-2020 (operative programme of the European Agriculture Fund for Rural Development, EAFRD). L.P. is funded by Conselleria de Educacion, Cultura y Deporte, programme Subvenciones para la contratacion de personal investigador en fase postdoctoral, grant APOSTD/2019/04; J.R. by the Ministerio de Educacion, Cultura y Deporte, through the "Ayudas para contratacion pre-doctoral de Formacion del Profesorado Universitario FPU (Convocatoria 2016)" grant number FPU16/05540; and M.P. by the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia through the pre-doctoral PAID-01-20 programme.Basterrechea-Chertudi, DA.; Rocher-Morant, J.; Parra-Boronat, M.; Parra-Boronat, L.; Marín, JF.; Mauri, PV.; Lloret, J. (2021). Design and Calibration of Moisture Sensor Based on Electromagnetic Field Measurement for Irrigation Monitoring. Chemosensors. 9(9):1-32. https://doi.org/10.3390/chemosensors9090251S1329

Study of a Methodology for the Improvement in the Writing of Reports in the Degree of Environmental Sciences

[EN] The Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Sciences is a university degree that was created due to the growing environmental awareness of society. Report writing and critical analysis of results are particularly important matters in this grade. To improve these two abilities through the Materials and Energy Management subject of the 4th year we have studied a methodology based on the retaking of the first practice report.. We have seen that in the years that this retaking has been requested an increase in the students' grades has been observed. This increase was higher the first year, where their grades increased an average of 3.2 points (over 10). Furthermore, the mark of the second report improved an average of 2.28 points from the first report in the 2019-2020 academic year. It is to be noted that, in the year that there were no retakes from the first practice, no improvement was observed in the grade between the first and second reports. Therefore, it is necessary to "force" students to correct the first report so that they improve in writing them.[ES] El grado en Ciencias Ambientales es un grado universitario que se crea debido a la creciente conciencia ambiental de la sociedad. En este grado es muy importante la redacción de informes y el análisis crítico de los resultados. Para mejorar estos dos aspectos desde la asignatura de Gestión de Materiales y Energía del 4º año hemos estudiado una metodología basada en la recuperación del primer informe que entregan.Hemos visto que en los años que se ha solicitado esta recuperación hay un aumento en las notas de los alumnos. Este aumento fue máximo en el primer curso donde se obtiene un aumento de la calificación en 3.2 puntos entre la primera entrega y la recuperación. Además de una mejora máxima de 2.28 puntos entre el primer informe que entregan y el segundo en el curso 2019-2020. En cambio, en el año que no se realizaron recuperaciones de la primera practica no se observó una mejoría de la nota entre el primer y segundo informe que entregan. Por tanto, es necesario “obligar” a los alumnos a corregir el primer informe para que mejoren en la redacción de sus informes.Rocher, J.; Ivars Palomares, A.; Parra Boronat, M.; Lloret Mauri, J. (2022). Estudio de una Metodología para la Mejora en la Redacción de Informes en el Grado de Ciencias Ambientales. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 220-230. https://doi.org/10.4995/INRED2022.2022.1584722023

Quantifying the Production of Fruit-Bearing Trees Using Image Processing Techniques

[EN] In recent years, the growth rate of world agricultural production and crop yields have decreased. Crop irrigation becomes essential in very dry areas and where rainfall is scarce, as in Egypt. Persimmon needs low humidity to obtain an optimal crop. This article proposes the monitoring of its performance, in order to regulate the amount of water needed for each tree at any time. In our work we present a technique that consists of obtaining images of some of the trees with fruit, which are subsequently treated, to obtain reliable harvest data. This technique allows us to have control and predictions of the harvest. Also, we present the results obtained in a first trial, through which we demonstrate the feasibility of using the system to meet the objectives set. We use 5 different trees in our experiment. Their fruit production is different (between 20 and 47kg of fruit). The correlation coefficient of the obtained regression model is 0.97.This work has been partially supported by European Union through the ERANETMED (Euromediterranean Cooperation through ERANET joint activities and beyond) project ERANETMED3-227 SMARTWATIR by the Conselleria de Educación, Cultura y Deporte with the Subvenciones para la contratación de personal investigador en fase postdoctoral, grant number APOSTD/2019/04, and by the Cooperativa Agrícola Sant Bernat Coop.V.García, L.; Parra-Boronat, L.; Basterrechea-Chertudi, DA.; Jimenez, JM.; Rocher-Morant, J.; Parra-Boronat, M.; García-Navas, JL.... (2019). Quantifying the Production of Fruit-Bearing Trees Using Image Processing Techniques. IARIA XPS Press. 14-19. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/180619S141

Systematic Collaborative Reanalysis of Genomic Data Improves Diagnostic Yield in Neurologic Rare Diseases

Altres ajuts: Generalitat de Catalunya, Departament de Salut; Generalitat de Catalunya, Departament d'Empresa i Coneixement i CERCA Program; Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación; Instituto Nacional de Bioinformática; ELIXIR Implementation Studies (CNAG-CRG); Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Red de Enfermedades Raras; Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa; European Regional Development Fund (FEDER).Many patients experiencing a rare disease remain undiagnosed even after genomic testing. Reanalysis of existing genomic data has shown to increase diagnostic yield, although there are few systematic and comprehensive reanalysis efforts that enable collaborative interpretation and future reinterpretation. The Undiagnosed Rare Disease Program of Catalonia project collated previously inconclusive good quality genomic data (panels, exomes, and genomes) and standardized phenotypic profiles from 323 families (543 individuals) with a neurologic rare disease. The data were reanalyzed systematically to identify relatedness, runs of homozygosity, consanguinity, single-nucleotide variants, insertions and deletions, and copy number variants. Data were shared and collaboratively interpreted within the consortium through a customized Genome-Phenome Analysis Platform, which also enables future data reinterpretation. Reanalysis of existing genomic data provided a diagnosis for 20.7% of the patients, including 1.8% diagnosed after the generation of additional genomic data to identify a second pathogenic heterozygous variant. Diagnostic rate was significantly higher for family-based exome/genome reanalysis compared with singleton panels. Most new diagnoses were attributable to recent gene-disease associations (50.8%), additional or improved bioinformatic analysis (19.7%), and standardized phenotyping data integrated within the Undiagnosed Rare Disease Program of Catalonia Genome-Phenome Analysis Platform functionalities (18%)

Análisis de la evolución de la calidad del agua de mar en la costa española a partir de imágenes satélite antes y durante la cuarentena causada por el COVID-19

[ES] Las imágenes satelitales son una forma de teledetección que se puede utilizar para varios fines ecológicos. La teledetección ha sido utilizada incluso para analizar la calidad del agua. Hay muchos índices que utilizan los valores de diferentes bandas para calcular parámetros ambientales. Este TFM estudia el efecto de la cuarentena del COVID-19 en España en el Mar de Alborán. En este ensayo se analizan los cambios en la calidad del agua antes (desde el 3 de febrero) y durante (hasta el 22 de junio) la cuarentena. Las dinámicas estudiadas son relevantes para fines de restauración ambiental. Los índices ya existentes se aplican utilizando ArcGIS y ACOLITE para determinar varios parámetros ambientales. Materia orgánica disuelta coloreada, materia particulada en suspensión, clorofila a y blooms algales son los parámetros estudiados en este proyecto. Los resultados muestran el efecto de las tormentas ya que crean flujos terrestres masivos, así como la evolución de las concentraciones después de tales eventos. Para ello, los resultados se comparan con tablas meteorológicas. Se presenta la existencia de una correlación entre los parámetros (a excepción de los blooms). Además, demuestra el efecto que tiene un impacto humano repentino en un ecosistema que no ha sido perturbado durante meses.[EN] Satellite imaging is a form of remote sensing which can be used for several ecological purposes. Remote sensing has been used even to analyze water quality. There are many indexes which use the values from different bands to calculate environmental parameters. This project studies the effect the COVID19 quarantine in Spain had on the Alboran Sea. The changes in water quality before (since February 3rd) and during (until June 22nd) the quarantine are analyzed in this essay. The dynamics studied are relevant for environmental restoration purposes. Already existing indices are applied using both ArcGIS and ACOLITE to determine several environmental parameters. Colored dissolved organic matter, suspended particulate matter, chlorophyll a and harmful algal blooms are the parameters studied in this project. The results show the effect storms had since they create massive overland flows, as well as the evolution of the concentrations after such events. To do so, the results are compared with weather tables. Furthermore, the existence of a correlation between the parameters (except for the harmful algal blooms) is presented. Moreover, it proves the effect a sudden human impact has on an ecosystem which has been unperturbed for a few months.Parra Boronat, M. (2020). Analysis of the evolution of sea water quality in the Spanish coast from satellite images before and during the quarantine caused by COVID-19. Universitat Politècnica de València. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/152656TFG

Diseño y desarrollo de un sensor de humedad en el suelo low-cost basado en bobinas solenoides

[EN] The use of sensors is common in precision agriculture. Moisture sensors are one of the most used sensors in the systems to control the irrigation. Nonetheless, the currently available sensors to measure the moisture require electrodes to be in contact with the soil. In this study we present a new sensor for soil moisture monitoring which can be encapsulated and could be used for several sorts of soil. The sensors are composed of two copper coils (solenoids) and they are powered with a voltage of 10 peak to peak volts. Fifteen prototypes are tested in order to find the best design for soil moisture monitoring. After obtaining the best prototypes, they are tested in five different sorts of soils. The best prototype has 5 spires on the powered coil and 10 spires on the induced coil. Three of the soils could be modeled with regressions lines with R2 values higher than 0.85. Another prototype, with 80 spires on the powered coil and 40 spires on the induced coil (both on eight layers), shows a similar response to the other two sorts of soil. These two prototypes could be combined to create a soil moisture sensor for different sorts of soil.[ES] El uso de sensores es común en la agricultura de precisión. Los sensores de humedad son los sensores más utilizados en los sistemas de riego. No obstante, los sensores disponibles actualmente para medir la humedad necesitan tener los electrodos en contacto con el suelo. En este estudio, presentamos un nuevo sensor para el seguimiento de la humedad del suelo que puede encapsularse y usarse para varios tipos de suelo. Los sensores están compuestos por dos bobinas de cobre (solenoides) y se alimentan con un voltaje de 10 voltios picopico. Se prueban quince prototipos para encontrar el mejor diseño para el seguimiento de la humedad del suelo. Tras obtener los mejores prototipos, se prueban en cinco tipos diferentes de suelos. El mejor tiene 5 espiras en la bobina alimentada y 10 espiras en la inducida. El comportamiento de tres de los suelos podría modelarse con líneas de regresión con valores de R2 superiores a 0,85. Otro prototipo, con 80 espiras en la bobina alimentada y 40 en la bobina inducida (ambas en ocho capas), muestra una respuesta similar a los otros dos tipos de suelo. Estos dos prototipos podrían combinarse para crear un sensor de humedad para diferentes tipos de suelo.[CA] L'ús de sensors és comú en l'agricultura de precisió. Els sensors d'humitat són un dels sensors més utilitzats en els sistemes de reg. No obstant això, els sensors disponibles actualment per mesurar la humitat requereixen tindre els elèctrodes en contacte amb el terra. En aquest estudi, vam presentar un nou sensor per al seguiment de la humitat del sòl que pot encapsular-se i usar-se per diversos tipus de sòl. Els sensors estan compostos per dues bobines de coure (solenoides) i s'alimenten amb un voltatge de 10 volts pic-pic. Es proven quinze prototips per trobar el millor disseny per al seguiment de la humitat del sòl. Després d'obtenir els millors prototips, es proven en cinc tipus diferents de sòls. El millor té 5 espires a la bobina alimentada i 10 en la bobina induïda. El comportament de tres dels sòls podria modelar amb línies de regressió amb valors de R2 superiors a 0,85. Un altre prototip, amb 80 espires en la bobina elèctrica i 40 en la bobina induïda (totes dues a vuit capes), va mostrar una resposta similar als altres dos tipus de sòl. Aquests dos prototips podrien combinar-se per crear un sensor d'humitat per a diferents tipus de sòl.Parra Boronat, M. (2019). Design and development of a low-cost soil moisture sensor based on solenoid coils. Universitat Politècnica de València. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/130868TFG